


Play Date (Alternately titled: One and a Half Dads)

by overcastskeleton



Series: Family Matters (Wolfstar) [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, F/M, Fluff and Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-17
Updated: 2017-08-17
Packaged: 2018-12-16 08:58:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11825385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/overcastskeleton/pseuds/overcastskeleton
Summary: Sirius pretends Harry is his son so he can get in the good graces of Remus Lupin, who is a single dad.





	Play Date (Alternately titled: One and a Half Dads)

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm not super great with tags, I'm still learning how to use this site. 
> 
> This story includes:  
> -An alternate timeline where James and Lily are still alive  
> -Alternate timeline where Harry and Teddy are around the same age  
> -Sirius and Remus never met in school  
> -Remus wears glasses

Sirius hadn’t meant to lose Harry, I mean, who purposefully loses a three year old? When Sirius had stopped to read the price of a packet of crisps, Harry was standing disinterestedly beside him, sucking on his thumb. But when Sirius turned around, crisps in hand, Harry had disappeared in thin air, almost as if by magic.

And maybe _lose_ was strong. The word “lost,” implied that Sirius had no idea where Harry was, when in fact, Sirius knew the toddler was somewhere in the store. So Sirius had not _lost_ Harry, he had simply... _misplaced_ him.

“Harry!” Sirius searched the aisles, debating whether or not to close the store down or not. “Harry, where are you?”

He could already imagine the look on James’ and Lily’s faces when he came home empty handed. James would yell at him, he could be quite scary when he wanted, and Lily, well Lily would probably murder him on the spot.

“Listen guys, I have some bad news, and before you explode, just remember that we’ve all made mistakes and misplaced things.” Sirius practiced his apology speech. “Especially when the object in question is an energetic three year old with the attention span of a fly.”

Maybe he could win some sympathy points with James if he brought up the time his friend had lost Harry at the zoo. After all, it was Sirius who had found Harry in the reptile exhibit, nose pressed up against the glass of a boa constrictor habitat. And it had been he who had returned Harry to a blubbering James who hadn’t let the boy even six inches from his side for the rest of the day.

Though on the downside, Lily would be just as mad at James. But on the upside, her anger would shift, maybe long enough for Sirius to slip out the back door undetected.

Sirius smiled to himself at the idea of Lily’s rage being focused on someone else.

His euphoric mood lasted only for a moment, before the vice of panic had gripped his heart once more. “Harry!” He shouted at the top of his lungs, rounding the corner to the toy section. “Harry James Potter, show yourself.”

“Excuse me!” A voice spoke up behind Sirius. “Are you looking for Harry?”

Sirius whirled around. “Yes...I am…” His sentence dropped off as he took in the sight in front of him.

The person attached to the concerned voice, was very attractive. He was tall and pale, with a mess of light brown hair on his head and glasses that had slipped to the edge of his nose. A green sweater hung off of his lanky frame, making his green eyes seem sharper. The store’s ID badge was clipped hastily right above his heart and had slipped sideways.

“I found him over by the fruit, he was eating an apple,” Mr. Attractive said, crossing his arms over his chest. “You owe the store for that.”

Sirius’ mouth gaped open and shut, giving him the appearance of a fish. “I-um yeah.” He dug his hand into his front pocket. “Here.” He offered up a few crumpled notes.

“I was kidding about the apple. Harry, he’s in the offices.” He pushed his glasses up his nose. “I can take you to him.”

Sirius nodded. “Thank you…” he trailed off, waiting for the captivating stranger’s name.

“Remus.” He started walking down the aisle. “It’s no problem. I have a son around his age, and if he went missing, I would lose my mind.”

“I’m S-Sirius. Spelled S-I-R-I-U-S. Not like the expression” he lengthened his strides to keep up with Remus. _Stop talking Sirius_ , he pinched his arm. “You have a kid?”

“Yep. His name’s Edward, everyone calls him Teddy.” Remus put his hands in the front pocket of his trousers. “He’s three, but his birthday is in a couple weeks.”

“What about his mother, is she still in the picture?” Sirius asked intrusively.

The corner of Remus’ mouth quirked upwards. “We co-parent, if that’s what you mean. But we came to the realization that we just weren’t...right for each other.”

Remus led Sirius past the cash registers and into a little alcove. Harry was sitting at a large table; candy wrappers surrounded him, and chocolate was smeared across his mouth.

“Harry!” Sirius yelled dramatically and scooped him in arms. “Daddy was so worried about you. Don’t you ever run away from me again.”

His godson looked up at him, eyebrows slightly furrowed in confusion. “You’re not my-”

Sirius buried Harry’s face into his shoulder. “Shh, I know you missed me too.”

“He’s yours?” Remus leaned against the wall, watching the scene unfold.

“Yes…” Sirius answered, pulling Harry away from him. “And he doesn’t look like me...because I adopted him as a baby...when his parents died...in a car crash...that’s where the scar on his forehead came from. They were my best friends, it was devastating.”

The truth behind the scar: it was a byproduct of another one of James and Sirius’ adventures with Harry. But that’s a story for later.

Remus nodded slowly. “That was very kind of you.”

“What can I say, I’m all about anthropology.” Sirius set Harry down.

Remus chuckled. “I think you mean philanthropy.”

“Yes, that.” He took Harry’s sitcky hand in his own. “Thank you for returning my son to me, it’s nice to know that there are other single dads like me. I will see you around, Remus.”

“Sirius, wait!” Remus called as Sirius and Harry neared the exit.

Sirius did a little happy dance, before turning to face Remus. “Yes?” He composed himself.

“Look, Teddy and I just moved here a couple weeks ago, and we don’t have many friends. So I was wondering if maybe you and Harry would like to meet up for a play date or something?” Remus asked shyly, his fingers twisting in the bottom of his sweater.

Sirius broke out into a wide grin. “I think Harry and I would like that very much. I’ll give you a ring, yeah?”

“Lemme give you my number.” Remus hurriedly searched the room for a marker. When he found one, he pulled the cap off with his teeth and wrote quickly on the back of a napkin. “There.”

Sirius slipped the napkin into the pocket of his leather jacket. “I’ll have my people call your people.” He smirked.

“I’d like that.” Remus smiled a smile that crinkled his eyes and made the green irises brighter.

It was at that moment that Sirius Black felt all common sense drain from his body.

**> >>>>>**

Sirius flopped down on the sofa beside James and sighed dreamily.

He looked up at his best friend, who had his nose buried in his cellphone, and showed no sign of having heard him.

Sirius threw his arms into the air and sighed again, louder.

“For heaven’s sake, James. Sirius is trying to tell you something.” Lily rolled her eyes.

James set his phone down. “Yes, alright. What is it, Padfoot?”

“I think I truly know what love is.” Sirius announced, propping his head up on his arm.

James snorted. “And who’s the lucky guy this time?”

“His name is Remus.” Sirius pictured Remus’ face and smiled. “He’s beautiful, James. You know, he’s got these eyes and these awesomely proportionate ears.”

“Yes, it sounds like he has all the qualities of a proper human being,” Lily remarked monotonously, turning a page in her book.

Sirius nodded. “And don’t get me started on his lips. I just wanna-”

Lily slammed her book shut. “And this is where I leave. I’m going to make sure Harry is alright, and get ready for bed. I’ll see you upstairs.” She kissed James quickly on the lips and headed up to her room.

“So how did you meet him?” James asked, once Lily was upstairs.

Sirius propped himself up on his elbow. “Well, I lost Harry in the store-”

“ _You what_?” James whispered.

Sirius waved him off. “Don’t act like you haven’t. Anyways, I’m running around, going out of my mind with worry; and suddenly this guys says ‘Are you looking for Harry?’ And I turn around and there he is. He’s wearing a sweater like three times too big for him and his hair is a mess. Despite the fact that I’m worried, I have to take a second to appreciate his beauty.

“And he’s talking to me as we go back there, and it turns out he has a son Harry’s age; but the mom isn’t in the picture, because they weren’t ‘right for each other.’ So like he’s gotta be gay, right?”

James opened his mouth to respond, but Sirius didn’t give him the chance.

“And so he takes me back to Harry, and Harry’s safe. And at this point all common sense is slowly draining out of my body, so I may have made it seem like Harry is my son.”

“So you’re lying to him?” James raised an eyebrow. “And you’re using my son to do it.”

“Wellllll, _lying_ is a strong word.” Sirius shrugged. “It was a small fib.”

James leaned back against the sofa. “You told him Harry was your kid? How did you get him to believe that?”

“I might have told him you and Lily died in a car crash, and I adopted Harry as a baby.” Sirius rubbed the back of his neck, nervously.

“Really mate? Out of all the things, a car crash? I always told you I wanted to go out in a blaze of glory!” James protested.

“It can be a super firey car crash if you’d like,” Sirius amended.

James nodded. “Yeah, that could work.”

“So mate, could I possibly borrow Harry next Saturday?” Sirius asked, batting his eyelashes.

James ran a hand through his hair and looked up the stairs nervously. “I don’t know Padfoot. If Lily finds out, she’ll kill me and then she’ll come after you.”

“She won’t find out if you don’t tell her,” Sirius insisted. “Please, Prongs, I’ve never met another guy like Remus-”

James rolled his eyes. “That’s the exact thing you said about Dexter in year 10.”

“This is different!” Sirius whined.

“And about Freddie in year 11,” he added.

Sirius got down on his knees in front of James and took his hands in his own. “Please James! Do me this one favor! Don’t you believe in true love?”

“Let go of me, Sirius!” James pushed his friend’s hand away. “Fine! Just stop touching me!”

Sirius put his hands over James’ cheeks. “I will owe you for all eternity.” He pressed a chaste kiss to James’ forehead and stood. “Have Harry ready by 2. Make sure he’s wearing comfortable clothes, we’re going to the park.” He ruffled James’ hair.

Sirius left James sitting on the couch. It was in those few moments of solidarity that the severity of what he had just signed up for, crashed down on him.

“Holy _shit_ !” He whispered, rubbing his hands over his face. “Lily is going to kill me _when_ she finds out.”

Sirius couldn’t be happier as he skipped to his motorcycle. He pulled his cellphone out and texted Remus.

**Sirius Black: About that play date. Does next Saturday at 3 work?**

Remus’ reply came within seconds.

**Remus Lupin: Yes :) Teddy and I can’t wait**

Sirius giggled to himself, like a schoolgirl and turned the bike engine on. He revved the engine loudly a few times and peeled down the street, whistling the tune of _Walking on Sunshine_.  

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this installment. Tune in soon for the next part. 
> 
> Also, shameless endorsement, check out the other imagines in my Wolfstar series "Family Matters"


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